The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to halt a lower court order that required the government to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments during the ongoing government shutdown.The unsigned order, issued by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, pauses the mandate of a federal judge in Rhode Island who earlier this week ordered the administration to deliver full November benefits, using emergency reserves to fill the gap. The justice’s action will remain in place until 48 hours after a federal appeals court rules on whether to impose a longer stay.

Jackson, who handles emergency applications from Massachusetts and other states in the region, acted after the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston declined to immediately intervene. Her order effectively reinstates the administration’s plan to issue partial SNAP payments while the broader funding dispute plays out in court.The Trump administration has maintained that Congress must appropriate new funding for the program, arguing that courts cannot compel the executive branch to spend money not appropriated by the legislative branch.

“The president is committed to reopening the government as soon as Democrats agree to extend funding,” a White House spokesperson said.

Advertisement

The Supreme Court’s intervention marks the latest twist in a fast-moving legal battle over how to sustain the nation’s largest food assistance program during what has become the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. SNAP, which supports roughly 42 million Americans — or one in eight residents — had already run out of full federal funding when the shutdown entered its 35th day this week.

Officials in several states said they had already rushed to distribute benefits after the lower court’s ruling on Thursday, hoping to send full payments before a higher court could reverse the order.